Lakeland Man Charged With Robbing Same CVS Pharmacy Twice

A 56-year-old man is facing robbery charges after deputies say he held up the same pharmacist at a Lakeland drugstore on two separate occasions.

By STEPHANIE ALLENTHE LEDGER

LAKELAND | A 56-year-old man is facing robbery charges after deputies say he held up the same pharmacist at a Lakeland drugstore on two separate occasions.Johnny Early Couch, of 1034 Helena Lane in Lakeland, told deputies he needed to rob the pharmacies because his doctors don't prescribe strong enough prescriptions, a Polk Sheriff's Office arrest report states.He is being held in the Polk County Jail until his first court appearance.During the first robbery at about 3:25 a.m. July 4, a man wearing a brown hoodie and a boonie-style hat passed a note to the pharmacist at the CVS Pharmacy at 5010 S. Florida Ave., deputies said.The note told the pharmacist that "this is a robbery" and then listed four medications, including Hydrocodone, Dia­zepam and Alprazolam, with the dosage and quantity amounts, the arrest report states. "I have a gun" was written at the end of the note, deputies said.The pharmacist told deputies she feared the man ac­tually had a gun and filled the prescriptions, totaling more than 2,000 pills valued at about $10,000, deputies said.The man then drove away in a black convertible Porsche. On Wednesday about 3 a.m., a man with the same description passed a similar note with a list of prescription drugs to the pharmacist, the Sheriff's Office said. The note also read, "I don't want to hurt anyone but I will," the arrest report states.The pharmacist put pills in a bag and handed them to the man, who left the store and drove away in a black convertible Porsche, deputies said.During their investigation, deputies learned there are only five owners of black convertible Porsche cars in that area, one of which is Couch, the report states. Inside Couch's house, deputies found the pills and a revolver he said he was carrying during the first robbery. Couch was arrested Wednesday afternoon. He is facing one count of robbery with a firearm and one count of robbery without a firearm.

[ Stephanie Allen can be reached at stephanie.allen@theledger.com or 863-802-7550. ]

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